The Protection
by 1DragonFire1
Summary: Marie Potter, now an Auror, was forced to do a simple bodyguard job. Problem was her client, Mr. Draco Fucking Ferret Malfoy.
1. Chapter 1

I have not read The Cursed Child, nor do I have any plans to. So this story is set after DH, but does not follow the canon epilogue and events of cursed child. I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.

 **CHAPTER 1**

Bright lights filled her vision as she slowly pealed her eyelids apart. Marie examined her surroundings and realized she was in a hospital bed. She tried to move, but a sharp pain in her stomach made her gasp in pain.

"Ah, Auror Potter, you are awake." She turned her head to the right and saw Kingsley Shaklebolt, standing near the doorway. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I just have a slight pain in my stomach. What are you doing here Minister Shaklebolt?" she asked. Suddenly memories of her last auror mission came flooding. She was chasing the suspect down an alley of Muggle London. She was so focused on the suspect, she didn't see another man throw a spell at her. Last thing she remembered was blacking out, before she could utter a spell in defense. That was not her proudest moment.

"I'm here to discuss your auror duties with you, Ms. Potter." He opened the door and John Dawlish, the head of the Auror Department walked in.

"Hello, sir." Marie politely said. She was extremely confused as to what was happening.

Dawlish cleared his throat, "Auror Potter, I need to ask you to take a break from the field."

Marie was quick to protest, "Sir, that is not fair…"

Dawlish raised his hand to stop her from her rant, "Ms. Potter, let me finish." She nodded numbly and he continued, "While you are one of my best aurors, you also have the highest amount of injuries obtained from missions. You have a tendency to act rashly and get yourself in dangerous situations. You are a highly skilled witch, but you have little self-control. There has also been a number of complaints from other aurors, that you take all the interesting missions. I'm asking you to take a break for a little while."

"You are suspending me? I have the highest arrest and completed mission record in my year."

"I'm not suspending you, I'm requesting for you to take a break. If you don't, I will be forced to suspend you." Dawlish answered.

"Please sir, don't make me take a break. I will do anything." Marie begged, she didn't want to take a break.

Dawlish looked at Kingsley and he sighed, "Fine, but I can only give you a protection detail job. Come to my office after you are released from the hospital." Dawlish left the room abruptly.

"I save the wizarding world and this how I get treated." Marie mumbled.

Kingsley sighed, "Marie, you joined the Aurors just after the Battle of Hogwarts. You have been working for five years without any breaks. Either you are on a mission or in St. Mungos recovering. Why don't you take some time off like Weasley?"

She just scoffed and looked out the window. Protection detail jobs were boring and mundane. An auror is basically assigned to the person who needs protection, while the other aurors try to eliminate the threat. She would have to be around the person 24 hours.

"Look, you need to take some time for yourself. I know that you previously had the weight of the wizarding world on your shoulders. However, wizarding world is no longer under a serious threat, you don't need to worry anymore. Think about that and try to relax." Kingsley left the room.

Marie laid back in her bed. She knew that what Kingsley was telling her was true. She felt so guilty for all the deaths, that she wanted to join the Aurors to continue to protect people. While Hermione and Ron were still her best friends, they were recently married and she didn't want to intrude on their life. The only time she would see Ron is when they went on auror missions together. She was so busy with Auror missions, that she didn't have time to meet up with any other friends from school. She barely got to see her godson, Teddy.

Worst of all, she was consistently plagued with nightmares almost every night. Memories of Voldemort and the war just kept coming to her. She couldn't just go to therapy, imagine the newspapers, _The Savior in therapy, has she finally lost it?_.

She requested some Potion for Dreamless Sleep and got some rest. The next morning she was released with a warning not to overdo the next few weeks as her body was still in pain.

Marie immediately flooed over to the Ministry of Magic to meet with Auror Dawlish. She knocked on door to his office.

"Come in." Dawlish was sitting at his is desk, signing some papers.

"Ah, Potter, have you recovered?" he asked barely giving her a glimpse from his papers.

* * *

Yes, sir. I'm here for my next assignment."

He motioned for her to come closer, "Alright, this is just a protection detail job. I want you to take it easy and just focus on your client's safety. This is the client's address." He handed her a paper, "Your assignment starts tonight."

Marie took the paper and left the office. She was still ticked about getting the lame protection detail. She was good Auror, she didn't deserve this. Marie flooed into the Grimmauld Place, which was given to her by Sirius Black.

"Kreacher!" she yelled.

"Yes, Mistress Potter." The old, scraggly elf appeared in front of her.

"Bring me a large trunk, I will be gone for a while." She went to her room and started pulling clothes from her closet.

She eyed the phone in the corner of her room. When she had it installed, it took a lot of convincing for Kreacher not to destroy it. She made a decision and called Hermione.

"Hello?" she heard Hermione answer.

"Hi Hermione, it's Marie." She asked how married life was and how Hermione was doing. She then proceeded to tell her about the meeting with Dawlish and how unfair it is.

"Well, it is true. Since we were kids, you always have acted recklessly and put yourself in danger countless times."

Marie groaned, this was not what she wanted to hear. "Ugh, just let me talk to Ron." She proceeded to talk to Ron. Ron had taken a 3 month leave, for the wedding and honeymoon. He still had about a month before he could return to Auror duty.

"How dare they threaten to suspend you! You are one of the best aurors! I swear when I come back, we are going to march to Dawlish's office and…" Marie smiled as Ron ranted on, this is what she wanted to hear.

The line went quiet for a few seconds, "Marie, while I am outraged, I must confess that taking this break was good for me. I feel relaxed and refreshed right now. Everything in the auror force is so serious all the time. We joined when we were 17 Marie. We were already forced to grow up young because of the war. When was the last time you had fun Marie? While I agree that it is wrong for them to attempt to suspend you, I do think that you deserve a long break."

"Ron, I can't take a long break you know that." She had confided in him about her nightmares and her guilt a year back.

"I understand, but if you need anything let me know." Ron hung up.

Marie sighed and finished packing her trunk. It was time to go meet the client. "Kreacher, help me get to this address." She rattled off the address and Kreacher apparated them and her trunk.

She ended up in front of a large apartment in Muggle London. She straightened herself up and went to knock on the door.

The door opened and familiar pale blonde man came into her vision. "Malfoy?" she gasped.

"P-Potter?" he stuttered out, equally confused and surprised. The two of them stared at each other in disbelief.

AN: If you are wondering how Marie went to her best friends' wedding, because she is always busy. Aurors get the weekend off, like most jobs. However many of her missions overlap over the weekends, so she still barely takes a true break from her job.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.

 **CHAPTER 2**

Marie stared at the man in front of her, before looking at the paper in her hands with the address to confirm she was in the correct place. Remembering her training she straightened out, "Good evening, Mr. Malfoy. I was sent from the Auror office, for your protection since you are now under the protection of the Ministry. I will be with you 24 hours and I will do my utmost best to keep you from danger."

"Bullshit Potter, why are you here?" he snarled out.

Marie was confused, "I told you, I was sent by the auror office. You know that you are under protection now?"

"Yes, I'm aware of that. My question is why did they send you?" he pointed out.

"Excuse me? I'm a highly qualified auror. You should be flattered that you have an incredible witch protecting your sorry ass."

Draco snorted, "If you are so skilled, why are you my bodyguard? Isn't that a job for junior aurors?"

"That is none of your business. Are you going to let me in?" she snapped.

He moved aside and allowed her in. "Kreacher, bring my trunk inside."

Draco, just saw the house-elf near her feet. "Since when do you have an house-elf?" he was shocked. That Granger girl was always parading about the treatment of the house-elves.

"Since I moved into the Grimmauld Place." She looked around the apartment. It was a modest one with a nice kitchen. "Why are you living here, instead of Malfoy Manor?"

"That is none of your business. This is your room." He led her to an room with just a simple bed and dresser. After taking her trunk from Kreacher, she dismissed him. Leaving her trunk unpacked, she joined Draco in the kitchen. They stared at each other, unsure what to do next.

"I'm hungry, do you have any food?" Marie tried to break the conversation. She started looking through the cupboards and fridge to try to find something to eat. "There is nothing here."

"Yeah, I don't cook." Draco said nonchalantly.

"So, what do you eat?"

"There are bunch of muggle restaurants nearby. I just go for dinner and eat the rest for lunch. Muggles have this thing called a take-out box." He said while he shrugged.

"Muggles also have this thing called a grocery store where you can buy ingredients for cooking." She retorted.

"Look, I'm heading out for dinner. Are you going to come or not?" he sighed.

She had no choice as she had to follow him wherever he went and she was hungry as well. She grabbed a jacket and followed him out the door.

They walked along the streets on London and Draco stopped at an extremely posh restaurant. Marie stared at him slack-jawed, this place was expensive!

"What?" he asked.

"I'm not dressed for this restaurant." Marie complained.

"Are you a witch or not?" he asked frustrated.

Marie looked away embarrassed and looked around before transfiguring her clothes into an evening dress.

They both walked in and maître de looked at Draco, "Ah Mr. Malfoy, you are here with a woman?" he asked surprised.

He lead the two of them to a table with only one chair, "Sorry, if I knew she was coming I would have had the other chair."

Marie was dumbfounded, Malfoy came to a restaurant so often that they had a table reserved for him?

Dinner was an uncomfortable affair. The waitress stared daggers into Marie with jealousy and Draco didn't say much and let Marie do most of the talking.

Draco paid the bill and they left the restaurant. Marie was fed up by this awkwardness and his behavior. She grabbed him and apparated.

"What the fuck Potter!" he yelled. He finally lost his composure, "What are you doing?" he couldn't believe that she apparated carelessly, he could have lost a limb.

"We are at a grocery store. I am going to buy food and ingredients to cook. Just because you are lazy, doesn't mean I have to be." She found a cart and started grabbing things of the shelves and Draco reluctantly followed her. Finally after twenty minutes, the pair was waiting in line at the cashier.

Draco took out his wallet, but Marie refused to have him pay. "You paid for dinner, I can pay for this." Draco looked scandalized, he was taught to always pay for others.

After paying, Marie apparated them both back to the apartment. She put the groceries away and when Draco went back to his room. She placed protective wards around his bedroom and the apartment.

When she went into her room, she put up silencing charms around her bed, to silence her nightmares.

The next morning Marie got ready and checked the wards to confirm that they haven't been breached. She went to the kitchen and started making breakfast, Draco came into the kitchen drawn in by the smell.

"Ah, Malfoy do you want some breakfast?" she asked grabbing another plate.

"Err, sure." He was surprised that Marie could cook. She didn't seem like a witch who would spend her time cooking, especially the muggle way.

He took a bite and groaned. It was surprisingly delicious.

"What do you think?" she interrupted his eating.

"It's edible." He didn't want her to think he liked it. "Where did you learn to do this?" he enquired.

"I was raised by Muggles. My aunt taught me how to cook."

Draco nodded and finished his breakfast. "So what's on your agenda today?" Marie asked him.

He raised his brows, "Why do you care?" he retorted.

"Well I have to follow you around."

He sighed and answered her question, "I will be making potions the whole day."

"Why?" she was curious as to why he would spend his time making potions.

"That is my job. I own a small potion making business."

"I didn't know that you liked potions."

"I don't hate it. It's not my first choice of a job, but nevertheless I find it relaxing."

"What is your first your choice of job then?" she was curious. The Malfoys were very well off, he probably didn't even need a job.

"I want to be a healer. I finished all my training."

"Why aren't you a healer then?" she was surprised that he wanted to be a healer.

"No one wants to hire a former Death Eater." He turned around upset and refused to look at her.

She frowned, she could understand why people reluctant to hire him, but it was obvious that he changed from his schooling days. "Can I help?" it has been a while since she brewed a potion.

He looked at her disbelief. "You want to make a potion? Are you even capable?" he teased.

"Hey, I'm not bad at potions. The reason most of my potions failed, is because you and your henchman would throw random ingredients into my cauldron and sabotage me!" she protested.

Draco chuckled remembering his school days. "Alright, let's see what you got." He led her into another room with cauldrons and ingredients.

She followed him perplexed. Draco seemed to be such a mysterious person. Who was he really?


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

Draco had a room without any windows or light. In the middle there was a huge cauldron with shelves of potion ingredients.

"I have six orders of the pepper up potion. You remember how to make that?" he asked.

She gave out a nervous laugh, "Er, I made it few times in class, I just forgot."

Draco just sighed and picked up a book from his shelves and flipped to a certain page. He handed the book. "Here."

He grabbed another cauldron from the cabinet. While she looked at the instructions once again. Marie noticed that he had made changes to the instructions and wrote notes on the books. It reminded her of the book that came in her possession sixth year. The one that belonged to Professor Snape, _The Half-Blood Prince_.

Marie collected the ingredients and started to brew the potion exactly to Draco's modifications. After couple of hours, they both were able to complete six batches of the Pepper Up Potion.

"I have to go to Hogwarts and deliver them to Madam Pompfrey." Draco announced.

"Okay, let me go get my cloak." Marie said as she walked to her room.

"You don't have to come." Draco said.

She raised her eyebrows, "You do know what my job entails right?" she questioned.

He sighed, "Fine." He did not enjoy having a babysitter.

They flooed to Three Broomsticks and walked from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts Castle.

She wore her invisibility cloak when they got to the castle, she didn't want to attract any attention. She followed Draco to the infirmary as he delivered the potions. She looked around the castle and memories came flooding back. She had loads of good memories here, but they were tainted by the events of the Hogwarts battle. So many of her friends died here as well.

After Draco was done, they left the castle. She thought saw something and immediately grabbed Draco's hand and ran. They couldn't apparate as they were on Hogwarts grounds. Finally, she casted some spells and saw there was no threat.

"What was that for?" Draco demanded as they stopped running.

"I thought I saw someone." She answered taking off her cloak. She looked around and saw that they were near the Quidditch pitch. Immediately she had a thought.

"Hey Malfoy, do you want to fly?" she asked devilishly. When she saw that he was not taking the bait, she added, "You always claimed that you such an amazing flier."

Draco, who was not one to back down from a challenge, shouted "Accio Broom." A few seconds a broom came flying towards him. When he saw it, he cringed. It was a _Shooting Star_ , one of the oldest models of brooms.

Marie laughed, she had to use one of those when her Nimbus 2000 crashed into the Whomping Willow. She accioed a broom as well and watched as Draco tried to get comfortable on the old broom.

"What? You can only fly if the broom is the latest model?" she taunted.

Draco smirked and zoomed past her at a decent speed. Marie followed him. After attempting to do tricks on the brooms, she accioed a golden snitch. "First one to get the snitch is best flier." She released the snitch and tried to keep track, but the broom's speed was so poor she couldn't keep up. She vowed to donate some brooms to the school.

"Losing your touch Potter?" he yelled as he sped past her. Determined, Marie fixed her grip and looked around for the snitch, when she spotted it, she flew the opposite direction to try to distract Draco.

Her ploy worked and soon he was able to pass her. When he was ahead of her by a respectable amount, she turned around and went after the snitch.

Draco realized his mistake too late as he turned around and saw her hand wrap around the snitch.

They both flew to the ground and shook hands. "Nice game Potter."

"You too Malfoy." Suddenly she heard cheers from the stands. There was about twenty students watching the pair.

"Ahem." They both whipped their heads and saw Headmistress McGonagall walking to them.

"Oh Professor- I mean Headmistress McGonagall…" Marie tried to explain herself.

"I thought your days of mischief were over, Ms. Potter. Trespassing on school grounds, stealing quidditch equipment." McGonagall chided in good nature.

Marie stammered and attempted to come up with a cover, "I went to visit Hagrid and I ran into Malfoy here." She inwardly cursed herself, she was an auror for five years and here she was sounding like a little girl.

McGonagall shushed her, "I'm not mad, I'm pleased to see you here. How are you?" she asked both Draco and Marie.

Marie smiled, "I am doing well. However, these brooms are horrendous." She reached for her pocket and pulled out a pouch of galleons. "Please buy newer brooms for the students."

McGonagall smiled, "Your father will definitely approve of you spending money to buy brooms."

Marie smiled awkwardly and blurted out, "I must be going now." She saw the students heading towards them. She never enjoyed the hero worship, it just made her feel guilty and uncomfortable.

McGonagall looked a little regretful but she smiled, "Alright, have a good day Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Potter."

Draco and Marie headed back to Hogsmeade. "Why did you want to leave so suddenly?" Draco asked.

Marie, who was deep in thought, answered vaguely, "Oh, I'm just tired."

Draco knew that something drastically changed Marie's mood right after the flying match.

When they got back to Draco's apartment, suddenly he asked, "What do you want to do for dinner?"

She replied, "Let's just order pizza."

"What do you mean by that?" he was confused.

Marie eyes lit up, "Wait, you never ordered take out before?" she started to get excited.

Draco shook his head no. "I don't even know what that means. Is that a muggle thing?"

Marie laughed, "Here let me show you how to order takeout." She used the apartment phone to call the pizza place that delivers.

While they were waiting, Draco immediately had a thought, "What happened to your glasses? Can you see better now?" he asked. He noticed that she no longer had her glasses.

"No, I'm just wearing contacts."

"What the hell are contacts?" he had no idea what that was.

Marie reached into her left eye and pulled out a len. Draco was disgusted but intrigued by this device. "I wear these instead of glasses."

"Is it magic?" he asked taking a closer look on the lens in her finger. He was a trained healer, so naturally, he was interested in the device.

She chuckled, "No, the muggles found out a way to make these lenses have the same ability as glasses. Hermione introduced them to me." She took the other lens out and went to the bathroom. When she returned she was wearing her glasses again. "I still have my glasses, just in case the lens get itchy and for when I'm sleeping and I suddenly need to see."

Draco looked at her and saw his old enemy staring back at her. She really looked different without the glasses, kind of pretty. He remembered the Yule ball night as she didn't wear her glasses them. A doorbell interrupted his thoughts.

Marie walked to the door and paid the delivery boy for the pizza.

"Interesting. Muggles deliver mail and food to other muggles?" Draco asked.

"Yes, muggles don't use owls." She laughed and started to open the pizza box. She handed him a slice on a plate.

Draco did the most amusing thing. He started to use his fork and knife to chop his pizza. He stopped when he felt Marie staring at him. "What?" he asked.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked shocked.

"I'm eating pizza?"

"Is this your first time eating it?"

"No. I've eaten it once before."

Marie quickly pointed her wand and transfigured the knife and fork into feathers.

"What the fuck?" Draco shouted.

"You're eating pizza wrong." She informed him. She then proceeded to lift the crust with her hand and stuck the other end in her mouth.

Draco gave it a try. He was not comfortable, growing up in Malfoy Manor, he was taught to have impeccable table manners from a young age. However the pizza had an appealing taste, despite the greasiness.

Marie, satisfied with Draco eating, went to the fridge and pulled several beer cans out. She turned the TV on and found a show called _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_.

The two of them spent the next hour watching the show, eating, drinking, and discussing the inaccuracies of the show. After the show, Malfoy excused himself to the loo.

Suddenly Marie remembered something that she was thinking about earlier in the day. "Kreacher!" she commanded. The old house elf appeared after few seconds, she knelt down and whispered something to Kreacher.

"Yes Mistress Potter." Kreacher left. Marie sighed, Kreacher refused to call her anything but _Mistress_. He reappeared with a satchel in his hand and gave it to Marie.

Draco came back in the room just as Kreacher was leaving. "What was he doing here?" he asked curious.

"He just came to give me something I asked for. This is for you." She gave the bag to Draco.

He lifted an eyebrow at her in suspicion, while opening the bag. It was the _Advance Potion-Making_ book from their sixth year. "I already have a copy of this book. Why are you giving me this?" he was confused. He had the book in much nicer conditions.

"Look at the inside cover."

He opened the book, "Who is the Half-Blood Prince?" he asked while reading.

"Have you heard of the Prince family?" she prodded.

"Yes of course, they were a well-known pureblood family. The last heiress brought shame to the family when she married a muggle…" he stopped talking once he realized who was the Half-Blood Prince. He turned paled, "This book belonged to him?" he quietly asked.

Marie nodded, "Yes. I found it during my sixth year." Hermione and Ron made her discard the book in the Room of Hidden Things. However, she snuck back in the next night and took it back with her. She hid it in the Grimmauld Place until tonight.

Draco started to skim the book, flipping through pages at a glance. "Wait, was this how you won the Felix Felicis Potion in Slughorn's class?" he remembered.

"Err, yes." She guiltily replied.

He looked at her smugly, "I knew it was a hoax. There was no way you suddenly got better that year."

She defended, "Hey, I am a decent potioneer." He laughed at her and she started laughing too.

He then became serious again, "Why are you giving this to me?"

"I know that Snape was your godfather. Also you seem to be passionate about potions, the book was just sitting in the house collecting dust. I think he would want you to have it."

Draco was touched and dumbfounded, "Thank you."

She smiled back, "You're welcome. It's getting late, I'm going to bed. Good night." She placed protective wards around the apartment and then went to her room.

Draco was in silence the whole time, he was contemplating Marie's actions of the day. There was so much he didn't know about her, she had so many layers of secrets.

AN: I'm aware that some people actually prefer to eat pizza with utensils, no hate lol. Please review what you guys think of the story so far.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

Despite their somewhat pleasant beginning to their new living situation, things were quickly going downhill. Draco was not dealing well with the complete lack of privacy. Marie would enquire his every single movement, including his trips to the loo. She kept following him around the apartment.

On the other hand Marie was becoming quite bored, Draco barely left the house especially since she made most of the meals. He would spend the most of his day in his potion lab. She could swear that his hair was becoming greasy like a professor she used to know.

At the end of the first week, Draco was at his wits' end. He just wanted to some time alone, without Marie's eyes on him. He had an idea, however it was quite drastic, but he was prepared to suffer the consequence. That evening he knocked on Marie's door, "I made some hot chocolate, it's a little thanks for all the cooking you done this week."

Marie took it graciously, it felt nice to be appreciated, "Thank you, good night." She smelt it and it smelled extremely tempting. She took a sip and within seconds the drink was done.

She yawned and decided to go to bed early. She ended up forgetting to place the wards around the apartment like she did every night. Sleep came very easy to her that night.

When Marie woke up, she felt a weird sense of panic. Putting her glasses on, she jumped out of bed when she glanced at the clock. It was four o clock in the afternoon!

She ran out the room and yelled out, "Malfoy! Malfoy!" she couldn't find him anywhere. She noticed that there was a note in the kitchen. What if it was a ransom note?

 _I'm sorry – D. Malfoy,_ the note read. Why would he be sorry? She thought back to the events of the previous day. The hot chocolate he gave her! She ran back to her rooms and found the glass on her nightstand. Marie performed the spells that she learned during Auror training to detect any potions. The glass had trace amounts of a sleeping draught. That fucking ferret drugged her!

Marie grabbed her invisibility cloak and left the apartment. She was going to hunt down him down and give him a piece of her mind. She apparated to the first place she could think off, which was Diagon Alley. She ended up at the Leaky Cauldron and made her way to Diagon Alley. She quickly walked down the lane and tried to look for Draco.

She was about to give up, when her eyes caught something. It was Knockturn alley, she figured that snake like him was probably in that shady place. Pulling her cloak tighter, she made her way down Knockturn alley. After checking Bourgin and Burkes, she decided to try the White Wyren, which was a pub in Knockturn Alley.

To her luck, he was sitting in the corner drinking. She was about to march over there and start yelling him, but stopped when she realized where she was. Marie decided to scare him, changing her voice she walked over to him.

Pressing her wand to tip his neck, in a deep masculine voice she whispered, "Don't you dare pull your wand out. If you want to live, walk slowly out of the pub."

Draco stiffened once he realized that someone was behind him. He tried to think of ways to escape, but couldn't so he had no choice but to listen to the stranger. Throwing a few galleons on the table, he attempted to calmly leave the pub. When he was walking, he couldn't help but wish that Marie was with him.

Marie lead him to entrance of the Shrieking Shack. Then she harshly pushed him on to the ground and pulled her cloak off.

Draco's eyes widened when he realized who was his kidnapper. "What the fu…" he got interrupted by a hex she threw him.

Multiple bats came flying out of his nose, effectively silencing him. Marie made a mental note to thank the female Weasley again for teaching the Bat-Bogey Hex. She waited till the last bat flew out his nose, "I don't think that you deserve to be the angry the one here Malfoy!" she said darkly.

Malfoy, who was upset with the hex, argued back, "I just wanted some privacy! You wouldn't leave me alone."

"That's my job!" she fumed.

"I was going to come back after a few drinks."

"You drugged me!" she cried out, "How dare you do that to me? I was so out of it, I didn't even place wards on the apartment last night. What if something happened?"

"Well nothing did happen." He stubbornly retorted, trying to justify his actions.

Marie realized that Draco was still being a little shit, so she was going change her tactics. Lowering her head, she whispered, "I thought you gave me the hot chocolate as a good friend, but it turns out that she tricked me." She lifted her head up and showed Draco her tears, "Then I woke up and I couldn't find you." Few tears escaped her eyes, "I was worried that something happened to you."

Draco felt awkward, he was no good with crying women. "Alright, alright I'm sorry for my actions." He handed her handkerchief, "I apologize for slipping the sleeping draught in your drink. Tell me what I can do to gain your forgiveness."

"Really?" she asked. Wow, if she knew that crying would gain an apology, she would have cried more whenever he pranked her during Hogwarts.

He sighed, "Yes."

"Okay then." Her posture changed completely, she dabbed her eyes with the handkerchief. Gone was the crying girl, in her place stood a smirking witch. "I have some places to be tomorrow, you will come with me."

He was gob smacked, but had to admit that she tricked him back. "Fine." He grunted.

The next day, they both stood in front of the fireplace. Marie spoke up, "I need to go home and pick up few things. You go first." She gestured to the fireplace, she still didn't trust him to follow her.

Draco commanded, "Grimmauld Place." He opened his eyes and saw a typical looking pureblood room.

"Mr. Malfoy, welcome." He saw Kreacher staring up at him, "It is an honor to have you here at the Black's Residence."

"Nuh-uh, it's Potter Residence now." Marie tutted from behind Draco. Kreacher just sneared at her.

"Have you been to Grimmauld Place before?" she asked him.

"No. I just heard stories from my mother."

"Wait here, I will be right back."

Draco sat on one of the chairs and accepted the tea Kreacher brought him. "Abraxus is that you?" he heard from the hallway. He walked towards the sound, curious to who was speaking to him. He was confronted by portrait of Walburga Black. "Who are you? You look like Abraxus Malfoy."

"I'm his grandson, Draco Malfoy."

"Hmm, a constellation name?" she wondered.

"My mother was a Black." He explained, although he didn't know why he was even talking to the crazy Walburga Black.

"Bravo! A Malfoy and a Black, you have excellent blood within you."

Marie came up to him, "I see you are talking to Madam Wally."

"You dare call me that? You filthy half-blood!" she screamed, as Marie dragged Draco out from the hallway.

When they were back in front of the fireplace, Marie suddenly bent down and clasped something around Draco's ankles. It was a magical hand cuff and she clasped the other cuff on her hands. These cuffs were different from muggles one, the cuffs were not linked together physically and it would not allowed the users to be more than 10 meters apart. Aurors used it to keep criminals from apparating or running away.

"I'm not a criminal!" Draco protested. He just lost even more freedom with these damn cuffs.

"Okay, let's go!" she ignored his objections and walked outside. She took his hand and apparated.

The both arrived in front of a homey cottage. "Where are we?" Draco asked.

"Marie!" a little boy screamed out.

"Teddy!" she cooed back. She lifted her godson from the ground and spun him. The boy had messy black hair, just like his godmother.

"Who is this?", Teddy shyly looked from her shoulder and saw Draco.

"This is Uncle Draco. Malfoy this is your cousin, Teddy Lupin."

Draco's eyes widen as he realized who the child was.

"Is that you Marigold?" an older woman called out.

"Yes, Dromeda its me."

"Teddy, how many times have I told you not to leave the house without shoes." Andromeda started berate her mischievous grandson. She stopped walking, when she saw who was next to Marie.

Draco and Andromeda stared at each other, both unable to say anything. It was the first time they met. Draco cleared his throat, "Err, I'm Draco."

Andromeda breathed out, "Cissy's son."

"Yes." He winced thinking about all the horrid things Bellatrix said about her sister. He wondered if Andromeda would accept him.

Andromeda studied him for a second, "Well Draco, I'm your Aunt Andromeda. Why don't you come inside? Come along Marigold."

Draco didn't move as he watched his aunt walk back to the cottage. He was stunned that his aunt was being so friendly to him. He felt a nudge on his shoulder, Marie gestured for him to come.

The inside of the cottage had a friendly vibe, there was both muggle and wizarding items. Dromeda brought some biscuits to the living room. Draco sat on the sofa, looking around the room. Teddy came up to him curious about the stranger in his house. Teddy stared hard at his cousin and his hair changed to the same pale blonde.

"Hell!" Draco was taken back. "Is he…"

Marie answered, "Yes, he is a metamorphmagus, just like his mother."

Suddenly they heard the sound of the floo. Hermione came out of the fireplace with a smile, but it dropped immediately when she saw Draco. Ron came out behind her, he almost toppled her over, "Blimey Hermione, you need to move…You!" he yelled out once he saw Draco.

Ron pulled out his wand and pointed at Draco. The latter turned into a little ferret and started squeaking. Marie started giggling. Hermione gave her a disapproving look, with her lips fighting to smile.

"Ronald! Turn him back now!" Andromeda chastised. Ron relented and turned him back.

Draco was furious, he took out his own wand and pointed it at Ron. "You little Weasel!" He snarled out. The redhead turned into a little weasel.

Hermione pointed her wand at Draco and demanded, "You turn him back now."

Draco turned him back. At this point both Marie and Teddy were fully laughing, while Andromeda had a small grin.

Both the males stared at each other, "What the bloody hell is the ferret doing here?" Ron asked.

Draco crossed his hands, "I can ask you the same the question, Weasel."

Hermione interrupted, "We came to wish Andromeda for her birthday."

While Draco didn't know what to say, he was unaware that it was his Aunt's birthday. "What's wrong with having my nephew here?" asked Andromeda to Ron.

Marie stopped her laughing and tried to diffuse the situation. She went in front of Ron and gave him a hug. "Let's catch up in the other room." Marie pulled Ron away from the others.

Once they were in Teddy's bedroom, "What are you doing with Malfoy?" Ron blurted out.

"Calm down, Ron." Marie then explained that she was assigned to bodyguard Malfoy and how she was living with him now.

"I still don't trust him." Ron said after listening to Marie's story.

"Yeah, I thought I could trust him, but…" she remembered the events of the day before, "That's why I got these." She gestured to the handcuff in her hand and Ron laughed.

Meanwhile back in the living room, Andromeda dragged Teddy into the kitchen leaving Hermione and Draco in the room.

"So how are you doing Draco?" she politely asked.

"I'm fine, Granger." He was still upset with being turned into a ferret again.

She whispered, "Weasley."

"What?" he was confused.

"I'm a Weasley now." Hermione gestured to the wedding band on her hand.

"Err, Congratulations?" he realized that she was no longer a Granger anymore. He already apologized to her after the War with the events at Malfoy Manor. However, he wished that he could have done something then.

"Do you still have a crush on Marie?" she blurted out.

"I beg your pardon?" his eyes bugged out.

"Oh come on, it was so obvious that you fancied her at Hogwarts."

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"Still denying it, Malfoy?" she enquired.

"It wasn't a crush, it was more like…"

"Fascination? Obsession?" she prodded.

He turned red, "Whatever it was, I don't think of her that way anymore. It years ago."

Hermine just nodded, not believing a word he said.

Andromeda entered the room, "Hermione dear, will you please ask Marie to help me in the kitchen?" she asked. Hermione blushed and nodded. The last time she tried to help, the food became burnt.

It was a well-known fact that Hermione was not a great cook. She tried to follow recipes to great precisions but failed miserably; because cooking was not about exact measurements, but instincts. She was a better baker, because she was able to add precise amounts into the batter.

While Ron and Draco argued about Quidditch teams, Marie and Andromeda made lunch. Hermione and Teddy tried to calm down the two men.

After lunch, they lit a few candles on the cake that Hermione and Ron brought. To Ron's displeasure, Teddy still had the Malfoy hair. "Come on Teddy, red hair is better." Ron tried to convince the five year old, pointing to his own hair.

Draco looked at Ron smugly. "Even the little boy knows who is better." Ron was about to lunge at Draco. Marie stopped him.

"Do you both want to recreate your father's fight at Flourish and Botts?" she asked.

They both turned red, remembering the memory of the summer before second year.

Andromeda was curious, "What is this fight?" she asked. Hermione explained the fight that Arthur Wealsey and Lucius Malfoy had at the bookstore.

All three females burst into laughter, while Ron and Draco looked embarrassed.

Hermione and Ron left after talking a little longer. Marie took a sleepy Teddy to his room, "I'm going to put him to sleep."

Draco and Andromeda were left in the room. "I'm sorry, I didn't know it was your birthday, I would have brought a gift."

"Hush my dear, seeing you was a gift."

He protested, "Still, I would like to give you something."

Andromeda thought about it for a moment and she pulled a picture from her apron and gave it Draco. It was a moving picture of the Black sisters at a young age. All three of them were smiling and laughing. Narcissa gave Draco little wave.

Andromeda explained, "I was truly really close to both my sisters. I knew that by marrying Ted, I would lose my sisters. That was the only thing that made my decision harder, I didn't care about anything else. Both of them probably felt betrayed, more than angry at me, when I ran away."

She pulled an envelope, "I wrote this letter years ago, but I was too much a coward to send it. My wish is that you give it to your mother." She gave the letter to Draco.

"Also, Cissy loved the pumpkin pastries I used to make." She gave Draco a small bag, "Please give these both to your mother."

Draco hesitated, he hasn't been home in a long time, but seeing his aunt tear up he had no choice. "You know my mother has the same photo. I found it once when I was playing in her dresser."

Andromeda teared up, "Thank you for coming here today." She gave Draco a peck on the cheek. "You are welcome to come anytime you want."

Draco nodded, he was going to come back to see his aunt and cousin again. Marie came out and said goodbye to Andromeda. They both left and apparated back to Draco's apartment. Before she could go to her room, Draco stopped her. "Thank you for taking me there today."

Marie smiled, "You're welcome."

Draco stared at the letter in his hands, looked like he would have to pay a visit to Malfoy Manor soon.

* * *

AN: I was doing a little research on magical portraits. Apparently they have limited memory of the subject's life. They can be taught mannerisms by the subject. I know that Walburga died after Draco was born and probably knew of Lucius and Narcissa's marriage. This is just one memory her portrait didn't have prior. Also I made Marie's real name Marigold, as a tribute to her mother who also had a flower name. I will primarily call her _Marie_ , so it sounds similar to _Harry_.


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